Kerala govt relaxes lockdown curbs; shops to open 6 days
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 4: The Kerala government on Wednesday announced easing of the lockdown curbs, imposed in the state in view of the spread of COVID-19.
Health Minister Veena George, who made a statement in this regard in the state Assembly, said it would be a triple lockdown for shops located in an area, where over 10 of the 1000 people of the population are infected in a week.
"In other places, shops will be allowed to operate six days in a week considering the current general situation in the state and the progress of the vaccination," she said, adding that it can function from 7 am till 9 pm.
Shops would remain open and curbs would be eased on August 15 and 22 though the days fall on Sunday, considering the Independence Day and the Onam festival rush respectively, she said.
However, the minister urged the shops and business establishments to make special arrangements to avoid rush and ensure social distancing in their premises on account of festival season.
Meetings would be held with local self government bodies, police and traders in this regard, she added.
Noting that the practice of avoiding political, cultural and social gatherings, which used to attract huge crowds, should be continued, George said people should visit the places of worship considering its area and space.
A maximum of 40 people can visit the places of worship which are generally spacious, while up to 20 people can attend weddings and funerals.
The LDF government had been facing severe criticism from the opposition parties and traders in the state for some time over its continuing pandemic-induced curbs.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
